Owner of Felton drug house accused of dealing drugs in Santa Cruz; his attorney arrested also

SANTA CRUZ - Jack Clair Smith, 74, was arrested Wednesday night on suspicion of possession of drugs for sale after deputies said they found meth, cocaine and other drugs in his Jeep.

About 9:50 p.m. outside a diner near Ocean and Pryce streets in Santa Cruz, Smith was pulled over in his blue Jeep on suspicion of a traffic violation, said deputy April Skalland.

Smith appeared to be under the influence of drugs, Skalland said. A K-9's search of his Jeep netted 9 grams of cocaine, 4.45 grams of meth, $324 cash, a digital scale and three bottles of unlabeled prescription pills, deputies said.

The Jeep was towed. Smith was arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of drugs, possession of meth for sale and possession of cocaine for sale, Skalland said.

Smith's house on the 100 block of Felton Empire Road in Felton was red-tagged in February for code violations, according to county records.

At 11 a.m. Thursday, Smith was in a hotel room on Third Street in Santa Cruz, when deputies arrested his former Santa Cruz attorney, 46-year-old Joseph Barrera. According to the State Bar of California website, Barrera is ineligible to practice law as of May 23, though Barrera said his issues there are being resolved.

Bar officials said one issue has been resolved, alleging child support payments due, but that his current year's dues have not been received and that he has a pending State Bar Court case regarding a conviction for driving on a suspended license.

Santa Cruz prosecutor Rafael Vazquez recently filed four felony charges against him alleging, in part, that he had cashed at least two checks in Watsonville that had been taken from a business in Santa Cruz. Barrera remained in County Jail Thursday evening; it was unclear when he is next due in court. He was arrested last week also, in court, after making an appearance for Smith. He was arrested on a similar misdemeanor warrant, in a different courtroom than the one the warrant stemmed from.